Zeit Grotesk is a composite of various grotesk typefaces that I found in late 19th and early 20th century specimen books from German foundries such as Schelter & Giesecke and Bauer. While looking through these books, I felt that many of these typefaces, some over a century old, somehow retained a freshness and vitality in their small quirks and bold, simple forms. A few of the typefaces I found in these books have been remade as digital type, but something was lost in translation. The warm curves of the original characters for many of the digital remakes now look cold and poorly shaped.

Zeit Grotesk is my take on three different categories that seemed to reoccur not only throughout the books, but also throughout time. There are typefaces with terminals that end horizontally, diagonally, and vertically. Each goes in and out of favor every once in awhile, yet always comes back.

I designed Zeit Grotesk as three typefaces in one. Most characters are shared, but all characters with curved terminals, such as the miniscule a, c, e, s and majuscule C, G, J, S come in three versions that change the tone of the type dramatically.

Zeit Grotesk is a composite of various grotesk typefaces that I found in late 19th and early 20th century specimen books from German foundries such as Schelter & Giesecke and Bauer. While looking through these books, I felt that many of these typefaces, some over a century old, somehow retained a freshness and vitality in their small quirks and bold, simple forms. A few of the typefaces I found in these books have been remade as digital type, but something was lost in translation. The warm curves of the original characters for many of the digital remakes now look cold and poorly shaped.

Zeit Grotesk is my take on three different categories that seemed to reoccur not only throughout the books, but also throughout time. There are typefaces with terminals that end horizontally, diagonally, and vertically. Each goes in and out of favor every once in awhile, yet always comes back.

I designed Zeit Grotesk as three typefaces in one. Most characters are shared, but all characters with curved terminals, such as the miniscule a, c, e, s and majuscule C, G, J, S come in three versions that change the tone of the type dramatically.